I seem to have started the New Year by keeping with my same old disappearing acts! I'm really here; just very busy trying to make some personal changes (and dealing with an overload of year end stuff at work). Still, I have a few items on the docket today... Item, the first: This week (although pretty much over) is De-Lurking Week. So. That means you have to come out, come out where ever you are and leave a comment! Let me know I'm not talking to some sucking black hole here, folks. Item, the second: Many of you know my last novel endeavor ended well before typing "The End" and with me wishing my main character would set herself on fire in order to die a painfully slow and violent death. Since then... I have not been writing much. Partially, it's due to the ridiculous schedule I've managed to get myself on, which then leaves me lots of sleep time but no quality writing time (though I could set up an awfully good argument over sleep being the absolute best quality time there is, beyond sex that is...). Anyhow.Sufficed to say, my body has lately rejected all ideas of 5-6 hours being nearly enough time to re-energize and has taken to insisting Eight Exact Hours by going into coma-mode the moment my head hits the pillow. Three different alarms (at once!) have had no effect whatsoever. Mr. Clean shouting that the house is on fire and we're all going to die? Nothing. The addition of dripping ice water after the shouting? I turned over and continued snoring. Seriously. It seems I am officially tired. Or maybe... Lord have mercy... I'm just getting too old to stay up until 2 am. Either way, changes have to be made. And let me just take a moment to say... the idea of going to bed earlier really irritates me. I have so much to do! My rational side stated, "Yes, yes, we all know you have So. Much. To. Do. but if you'd go to bed earlier and then get up earlier, life from 4 pm - 9 pm wouldn't be quite so hectic! And then you could wind down from 10 pm - 12 am instead of 12 am - 2 am." My irrational side said, "Oh, STFU. I've been on the same schedule since I was 16 years old and it hasn't killed me yet. You're such a fruitbatting baby." (then we decided she was overdue, killed her, and ate her with some chocolate covered cherries)So. I'm going to start getting up early and then try that thing called "breakfast" at the time people normally eat in the morning and possibly, quite possibly, that'll help make my badonkadonk a little smaller too!Now, earlier I stated I hadn't been writing and that's not exactly the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have been plotting and researching and occasionally writing a snatch or two of something here lately. I know it's YA (Young Adult). I know it's paranormal or possibly urban fantasy. I know the guy my MC has a debilitating crush on is Oh So Cute. I know there may or may not be a demon in the works. There's definitely a red herring. And... I know that almost losing your virginity while dealing with new out-of-control magic could be either very dangerous or pee-your-pants funny. That's about all I know and none of that is written in stone. Or blood. Or even sharpie marker. The point? Just yesterday, Serendipity poked me in the hind parts with her dessert fork while I was breezing through one of my favorite blogs. Lo and behold, after I finished whining about my heinie, I noticed a link to just the thing I needed to go with my time-altering changes - a FastDraft workshop, used to write a first draft in two weeks. Folks, there is Nothing I need more just now than a crappy but finished first draft! So I'm doing that. You'll see the new addition of a word counter in the sidebar. Woo hoo. I'm excited. And dreading it. But excited!Item, the third: The spawnlings are being signed up for baseball - in two different leagues, in two different towns. And though we happen to live right smack in the middle of both towns I'm going to stick my neck out and guess there will be a smidge of chaos in my future. You think? Before you ask, No, I did not want it this way. Turns out Shaggy is too old for our town's league and his school team is so freakishly competitive (and successful at it) they don't take Freshmen. We signed him up for the other town's league. At the least he'll make some new friends. Doodlebug, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with new friends. He wants his own friends. Completely understandable at his age.Me? I'm a little nervous about Shaggy's league. Historically, there have been "problems" there. You know... parents storming the fields and assaulting umpires... that sort of thing. Yes, I am serious. If I recall correctly, one year here recently the parents (all of them) were banned from the games. And you thought Texas was just all about the football?! Heh.Okay, that's about it for now. I have chicken roasting in the oven and a Doodlebug acting like a mosquito in my ear (while holding a butternut squash and talking to it, no less). My brain is starting to smoke.

Ok. This is me. A big major league lurker saying hello. The computer system at work is mondo much faster than mine, so I sneak in my blog reading while I'm here. Meaning it's a drive-by peek and read. Have to say yours is one of my daily favs! Thanks for being!